Energy Newsbriefs Blog

The WSU Energy Program Library prepares this current awareness blog with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program. These articles highlight energy-related news, articles, and reports about energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable sources of energy for energy professionals and interested members of the public.

"Energy storage has been called a "game changer," a "panacea," and a "disruptor." It has garnered widespread interest from electric companies, residential customers, businesses, manufacturers, regulators, and policymakers. Its potential for growth has been described as "astronomical" and "colossal," and its benefits sometimes touted as incalculable. Indeed, energy storage has the potential to be a true game changer."

"Common Misconceptions, How to Assess Options, Practical Operational Concerns, and Where's the value? There is a reason for the seemingly endless series of conferences and press releases on energy storage, and why the topic is near the top of the agenda for many energy and facility managers across the country. In the last three years, more energy storage has been deployed in the U.S. than the previous five years combined."

"Flat utility rates, permitting issues, and ambiguous or nonexistent incentives are undermining the residential solar-plus-storage market, according to a new analysis. The report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the US Department of Energy also analyzes the prices of solar PV-plus-storage and describes hard-to-quantify benefits. It concludes that “gaps remain” in understanding and communicating costs and value. 'Installed Cost Benchmarks and Deployment Barriers for Residential Solar Photovoltaics with Energy Storage: Q1 2016' names permitting challenges as one of the major obstacles to increased deployment of solar-plus-storage."

"Lithium-ion batteries power many modern devices from cell phones, to cars, laptops, and a multitude of portable electronics. But their power density is less than ideal. And there appears to be another, perhaps more promising energy storage option on the horizon: lithium-sulfur batteries."

"In a promising experiment in an affluent swath of [Brooklyn], dozens of solar-panel arrays spread across rowhouse rooftops are wired into a growing network. Called the Brooklyn Microgrid, the project is signing up residents and businesses to a virtual trading platform that will allow solar-energy producers to sell excess-electricity credits from their systems to buyers in the group, who may live as close as next door."

"With hundreds of battery types and styles to choose from, how do you sift through spec sheets and marketing to find the right battery for you? Battery technology is key. Many batteries -- commercial, automotive, and UPS -- can’t handle constant cycling in renewable energy systems. Lithium-ion batteries are maintenance-free but have the highest cost per ampere-hour (Ah). They also pose fire and thermal runaway risks and cannot be fully recycled. In most, but not all, cases, lead-acid batteries are the best fit. They have the highest ROI, over 100 years of safe use, and are the most recyclable product in North America."

"Later this winter, Snohomish County Public Utility District will bring online its second energy storage system at a substation in Everett, Wash. The battery storage systems aim to transform the marketplace and how utilities manage grid operations. They also are designed to improve reliability and the integration of renewable energy sources, which are rapidly growing in the Pacific Northwest. The projects were made possible in part by a $7.3 million investment from the Washington State Clean Energy Fund."

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The Energy Newsbriefs Blog is a continuation of the weekly Energy Newsbriefs. Please bookmark this site and return frequently. Although we will not be accepting comments from within the Blog, we would be happy to hear from you by email at library@energy.wsu.edu